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Are you going to insure your car and have questions about how the insurance period works? Read this article and put an end to your doubts!

When purchasing car insurance, many questions may arise.

What coverage to take out? Which insurer to choose? Among them all, however, one that you cannot leave open is: what is the duration of the insurance?

Car insurance is very important to keep your car protected.

By taking out a policy, the user can protect themselves against damage caused by collision, accidental fire, theft or theft, and flood.

As well as against objects falling onto the vehicle, in addition to damage resulting from an accident to tires or paintwork.

Each contract may provide for different situations and different coverage.

With the insurance contracted, with the desired coverage, its validity begins.

In other words, the vehicle will be protected until the end of the contract, and you can count on compensation in the event of an accident.

Next, we tell you the duration of insurance. Keep reading!

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What is the insurance term?

The term of car insurance has to do with the time in which the contracted coverage begins and becomes valid, until the moment it ends.

As with any other type of insurance, the policy has a specific duration for its existence.

That said, the term of car insurance begins at midnight on the date indicated in the policy, and ends at midnight on the date appearing on the document.

Imagine, then, that your insurance policy indicates the period of validity between July 21, 2019 and July 21, 2020.

This means that from midnight on July 21, 2019, the vehicle will be protected.

Then, at midnight on July 21, 2020, the policy will cease to be valid.

From 00:01 on that end date, the car will no longer be insured.

How long does the insurance last?

Most insurance policies are valid for one year.

After the deadline, the protection needs to be renewed so that the insured continues to have assistance from the insurer.

In any case, this one-year period may vary by insurance company. It is essential to check the information in your policy.

It is worth remembering that the term of car insurance only refers to the coverage contracted with the insurance company.

Before that, however, the company carries out an inspection of the vehicle and analyzes the user's insurance proposal.

After all, if you wish, the policy can refuse to cover the vehicle.

The point is that, in this period between policy evaluation and insurance contracting, it is common for insurers to offer temporary insurance to the user.

Thus, the vehicle gains basic protection for up to 15 days.

To do this, the consumer pays an amount proportional to the protection time, after agreeing to this temporary contract.

Therefore, it is common for there to be two terms of car insurance.

First, temporary protection. Then, the validity of the “official” insurance.

All dates are listed in the documents signed by the user, and can be consulted whenever necessary.

How important is it to protect the vehicle?

Accidents happen unexpectedly, and are common.

To give you an idea, in 2016 alone, there were 20,994 serious accidents on Brazilian federal highways alone.

Bearing the loss of a damaged car alone can be a huge blow to the family economy.

After all, the repair can easily cost a few thousand reais.

Insurance does not only take into account damage to the insured car.

In addition, the insurer may pay for losses to third parties and damages to third parties, depending on the coverage contracted.

This not only guarantees savings, but also demonstrates the driver's social responsibility.

At this point, it is possible to consider car insurance as an ally, which protects your assets and contributes to alleviating the legal problems that a car accident can generate.

Not to mention compensation for material, physical and moral losses suffered by other people.

Can the insurance company cancel the insurance?

Although a validity period exists, it does not mean that it cannot change.

In fact, the insurance can be canceled before the end date, at the initiative of the insurer or the insured.

First, the insurance company. The company may terminate the insurance contract, for example, after the user defaults for several months.

You can also cancel the policy if you notice that the car is being used by drivers other than those indicated in the contract — except in cases where these drivers are only occasional.

Cancellation may also occur if the insured provides incorrect information to the company.

Here, important data comes into play to define the price of the vehicle, such as its use, the driver's place of residence and others.

But be careful: the insurer must inform the consumer about the cancellation of the insurance, justifying it.

If the insurance is canceled by the insurer, the insured must receive part of the amount paid back.

The return will be proportional to the unused time of the contract.

Now, if the cancellation is made by the user, they may have to pay a termination fee.

In any case, you will receive back what was already paid for the unused validity period.

When to renew car insurance?

To keep the vehicle protected against accidents, it is recommended to renew it shortly before its term comes to an end.

It is best to contact your broker at least 30 days before the end of the contract.

This way, you will have time to discuss the best coverage and values ​​for the new hire.

However, it may not be possible to renew the insurance before its end, “amending” one policy to another.

If this happens, it is worth signing the new contract within 30 days after the end of the policy.

With this care, you will be sure to receive more of a class than bonuses.

Bonus classes work like a points program.

Each year that your insurance is renewed, without having registered a claim under the previous policy, the insured accumulates one point.

Each class obtained guarantees a percentage discount on insurance.

They are associated with the user's CPF and, therefore, can be used in different cars and insurance companies.

When car insurance is renewed within 30 days, the user receives another bonus class.

So you can now use your discount.

However, if the renewal is carried out between 30 and 60 days after the end of the policy, the individual only keeps the classes they had, without receiving any.

Furthermore:

• Renewal between 60 and 120 days after the policy expires causes you to lose 1 class;
• From 120 to 180 days before the due date you lose 2 classes.

From 181 days after policy expiration, all bonus classes are excluded.

Now you know the importance of taking out coverage for your car.

Remember to opt for personalized coverage and pay attention to the insurance period.

This way, you will not take any risks outside of the insurance period.